The World of Hyatt credit card offers valuable rewards and benefits that make it one of the most appealing hotel cards for luxury travel.

The card offers up to 60,000 bonus points to new cardholders: You earn 30,000 points when you spend $3,000 in the first three months. And you can earn a second 30,000 points in your first six months with the card, because you get 2 points per dollar on up to $15,000 in spending, instead of the usual 1 point.

You can use those points at roughly 1,150 hotels around the world, including some all-inclusive resorts. 

The card charges a $95 annual fee, but you can get that value back and more with a free-night certificate every year. You can earn a second free night any year you spend at least $15,000 on your card. You’ll also get some basic elite status perks every time you stay at Hyatt hotels, plus some helpful trip protections.

Are the rewards worth the fees?

The World of Hyatt’s $95 annual fee is in line with most other major hotel credit cards. But even if you only travel casually, you can offset that charge each year with the card’s rewards and perks. 

Depending on how you use the free-night certificate, for instance, you may be able to save between $100 and $350 on a one-night stay. (You can use the free night at hotels in the lowest four of eight rewards categories, including brands such as Hyatt Place, Hyatt Regency and Grand Hyatt but not Andaz or Park Hyatt.) And if you spend $1,250 or more on the card each month, you can get another free-night certificate with the same potential value. 

You’ll earn 4 points per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels and 2 points per dollar at restaurants; on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and commuting (like tolls and parking garages); and on fitness club and gym memberships. You’ll also be able to earn Hyatt points when you pay for American Airlines flights, to the tune of 1 point per dollar, regardless of your payment method. 

If you spend $3,000 a month on credit cards like the type Wall Street Journal Reader, you’ll earn a minimum of 36,000 points a year, which is enough for at least two or three free nights.

Hyatt points are a favorite among credit card enthusiasts because they tend to offer much more value on average than other hotel loyalty programs. In many cases, you can get more than the standard 1 cent per point for general travel cards. While hotel rewards programs like those from Marriott and Hilton charge close to 100,000 points per night for a standard room at their luxury hotels, Hyatt maxes out at 45,000, and that’s during peak season. 

The card comes with Discoverist status, which provides some basic perks like preferred room upgrades and late checkout. While you can’t put a price tag on elite status, it can make your stay more enjoyable. 

Card details you might miss

You can also get value from the World of Hyatt Credit Card’s  lesser-known benefits. Here’s what you can expect:

• Up to $100 per day in baggage delay insurance, which covers essential purchases like toiletries and clothing for delays of more than six hours, up to a five-day maximum
• Up to $3,000 in lost luggage reimbursement, which covers lost and damaged luggage for you and immediate family members
• Up to $5,000 per person in trip cancellation and interruption insurance—up to a maximum of $10,000 per trip—if your trip is canceled or cut short due to illness, severe weather or another eligible reason
• Up to $500 in purchase protection on eligible items that are stolen or damaged within 120 days of the purchase date when you use the card
• Auto rental collision damage waiver, which protects you against theft and collision damage on eligible rental cars
• Complimentary one-year DoorDash DashPass, which offers free delivery and reduced service fees on eligible purchases
• No foreign transaction fees

Who benefits most from the World of Hyatt Credit Card?

If you prefer to stay with Hyatt when you travel or you’d like a chance to earn free nights at more upscale hotels, the World of Hyatt Credit Card can be a great choice. 

But compared with other major hotel chains, Hyatt’s footprint is relatively small, with most of their properties in major tourist destinations. And like other hotel cards, the World of Hyatt Credit Card offers limited flexibility in how you can use your rewards.

If you’re looking for a hotel chain with a broader network of properties, consider the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. IHG has more than 6,000 hotels and resorts around the world, and the card offers a slew of valuable perks, such as an annual free night, bonus points and statement credits, that can make its $95 annual fee more than worth it.

If you want to take advantage of Hyatt’s valuable rewards program but want more flexibility, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card could be a good fit. The card charges a $95 annual fee and offers a solid sign up bonus as well as bonus points on a variety of purchases, including travel, dining, online grocery purchases and streaming services. You’ll get 25% more value out of your points when you redeem them for travel through Chase’s booking portal, but you can also use them to get cash back, buy gift cards and shop online. Additionally, you can transfer your rewards to several airline frequent flier and hotel loyalty programs, including Hyatt’s.

Methodology: How we evaluated the World of Hyatt Credit Card

To choose Buy Side from WSJ’s Best Hotel Cards, we compared 15 credit cards from seven major hotel chains. We started our search with cards that offer the standard benefits you can expect from a hotel card, such as elite status and an annual free night benefit or points bonus. 

Then, we considered other valuable benefits that make it easy to offset the card’s annual fee, even without earning rewards. Examples include things like a second free night benefit, discounts on stays booked with points and perks for other travel expenses like flights and rental cars.

To find out more about how we choose credit cards—and to meet our panel of experts—you can check out Buy Side from WSJ’s full best credit cards methodology.

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